A Pokémon Story
by Mizu no Hana
Summary: Pokemon is that base. Everybody of my age grew up while watching this show and playing the games. This story is going to portrait romance, violence, action and lots of Pokemon battles. Here is my attempt to make a fanfiction with my Pokemon knowledge. Full summary inside. :. Ritchie x OC .:
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Pokémon is that base. Everybody (of my age) grew up while watching this show and playing the games. I have always liked this, but only the first series until Crystal, and now HeartGold and SoulSilver. I will not include the Pokémon from Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Black and White in this fanfiction. Maybe one Pokémon or another, but not too many.

I thought I wanted to try out and see how I do myself in this category, so here I am with a new fanfiction. It is about the journey of my OC, Mikoto Sakurazaki. I had this started a long time ago, but I am making a major re-writing, because it had a lot of grammar errors and stuff that made no sense in my mind as it was.

This story is going to portrait romance, action and lots of Pokémon battles. I am writing this to entertain the readers and for fun, so, if you don't like it this way, then you don't have to read it. I am using a FireRed/LeafGreen walkthrough as a reference to make things easier, but they will also go to Johto at some point. For those who will read, please enjoy and leave a review.

Rated T for language and possible future mature contents.

:. Ritchie x Mikoto .:

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any related characters from the Anime/Game that is Pokémon. Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I only own Mikoto Sakurazaki, Ritsuka (Mikoto's mother) and Hiro, the rival.

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**AN: The italic blocks in this chapter are flashbacks from Mikoto's past. Any further flashbacks in the following chapters will be properly indicated. Please enjoy.**

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**Chapter 01: ****A New Beginning**

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"_Hey, Onii-chan! Do you think I'll ever be able to be a good Pokémon trainer like you someday?" a young child asks, as cheerful and lively as a six-year-old can be._

"_Of course." An older voice steps in and smiles at the girl. "I'm sure you'll be even better than me, Mikoto-Violet."_

"_Oh, no, I don't believe that." The girl giggles upon the calling of her pet-name and sits beside her older brother, who pats her head gently and asks her why would she say such a thing. "Because, because, Onii-chan, you are really kind to all of your Pokémon! And, and! They're all so strong, too!" the girl said, awed at her brother's collection. "I don't think my Pokémon would ever be as strong as yours. You have even caught legendary Pokémon! I could never get one for myself like you did." She added._

_The girl turned her head when she heard a laugh. Her older brother, Max, was trying not to laugh, but couldn't hold himself. Upon listening to that sound, the younger girl, Mikoto, began laughing as well._

A figure shifted under the baby-blue covers from her bed. Some long pink bangs of hair are visible spread over the pillow. She doesn't even have to check the clock to know that it is still very late in the night. These sudden dreams about her brother were making her wake up at these late hours. She can only sigh as she curls into a ball and tries to go back to sleep. At first, she can't, because these dreams haunt her. She doesn't want to dream about this. She really doesn't.

"_Watch it, make way, make way. Mikoto is going to get her first Pokémon!" the older brother said out loud, making the people look at the two. Some would giggle at them, knowing how Max is towards his little sister._

"_Onii-chan, please stop that. I'm not six anymore. I'm ten. I'm a big girl now." the girl blushed and stretched down her short pink hair bangs._

"_So, do you know which one are you going to choose?" Max asked, trying to distract his little sister from her nervousness._

"_Um, I don't really know. I was reading my books and I think that maybe I'll chose Squirtle, the water-type Pokémon. I always kinda liked water type Pokemon."_

"_Hm, the Squirtle should be good for you." Max said, looking up and thinking. "For the first gym badges, it will be good help for you."_

"_Why do you say that?" Mikoto asked, curious._

"_Because of the types of your future opponents will be using against you." Max answered, looking down at the small girl with his smile. "You got to think of everything when you chose your first Pokémon."_

"_Oh, alright."_

She shifted again in her restless sleep. This wouldn't do. She was not going to be able to get any sleep at this rate. Maybe it was someone's Gengar who was playing a trick on her mind, making her dream like this again. But it has been so long, so who would remember _this_ now? She sighed again.

"_Onii-chan, are these the two Pokémon you were telling me about before?" Mikoto asked while looking at a photograph of Max with two Legendary Pokémon._

"_Yes, it's them. I was able to catch the two Pokémon I'd always want, and I was really happy when I called you that day, remember?" Max replied, looking at the photo as well._

"_Yes, I do, but why aren't they with you now?" Mikoto asked, with a curious tone of voice._

"_I would love to carry them with me all the time, but you can't keep Pokémon like them locked up, or else something bad might happen to the world we all live in." He explained._

"_Oh, why is that, Onii-chan?" Mikoto asked, curious._

"_Because the Legendary Pokémon are who keep the balance in our world." Max explained._

"_Balance?" Mikoto asked, petting her new Squirtle and looking focused at her older brother._

"_Yes. The world's balance is very, very important." Max said. "Remember when all that snow kept falling all of a sudden here in Pallet Town a few years ago?"_

"_Ah, I remember. It was in the middle of the summer, wasn't it?"_

"_Yes, it was. It happened because there was a very bad man trying to catch the Legendary Birds Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno."_

"_But, but, that man was stopped, wasn't he?"_

"_Yes, he was. By that trainer from our town as well."_

"_He seems like a really nice person. I would like to meet him one day." Mikoto smiled at her Pokémon._

"_Do you understand now why you shouldn't keep an important Pokémon like that locked up?" her brother asked with a serene tone of voice._

"_Yes, Onii-chan." The young girl turned her head towards her brother and smiled brightly._

"_Hey, I heard Onii-chan was back from his trip, so I-" Mikoto said cheerfully as she got home, Squirtle following her, but she stopped her tracks as she saw her mother's state. "M-Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked with a concerned voice. Squirtle peered from behind her, also worried._

"_Oh, Mikoto.." her mother, Ritsuka, was crying. There were some used tissues around her and a pink tissue box on front of her, over the coffee table. The woman hiccupped as she spoke. "Max is.. Your brother was.. He was.."_

"_What? What happened to Onii-chan?" Mikoto asked with a gapped voice and tears in the corner of her eyes._

"_He was found lying in one of his training spots in the other day. Your father just left for the hospital in Celadon City to make the confirmation that it was his body that was found. He was attacked by someone." Her mother said, clutching at her tissue with two streams of tears running down her cheeks. Her shoulders were shivering, meaning she was trying really hard not to break down in front of her child._

"_N-No, y-you're lying." Mikoto said, taking a step back. Before she knew it, two streams of tears ran down her own cheeks as well. "O-Onii-chan is strong. H-He wouldn't lose to anyone like that. He, he wouldn't!" the young girl wasn't aware of it, but she began running out of the house as fast as her short legs could take her, with Squirtle not wanting to leave his Trainer alone._

Another sigh. It was followed by another. The figure kicked the covers away as she uncurled herself, revealing the girl that was Mikoto. She shifted herself upwards and sat up in her bed. She dared to look at the clock over her nightstand, and to her surprise, she noticed that it was almost 8:20 in the morning. She stretched her arms upwards, yawning afterwards. The girl looked at the lump by her side, noticing that her Squirtle was still sleeping. After giving him a small smile, Mikoto looked towards the large window that head to the equally large balcony of her room. It was there that she had seen _them_. It was the first and only time she ever saw her brother's most prized Pokémon.

_It happened after the funeral. It was as if they knew she was in pain and came to her to ease her. She was crying in her room, and Squirtle was also there, but he wasn't able to make her tears stop. She wasn't aware for how long she had been crying, because she ended up falling asleep on the floor. At some time, she woke up to the sound of what seemed to be a beak poking at her window. She thought it could be just a tree branch, but then she remembered that there were no trees next to her house. Mikoto tried to clean the dry tears in her face, but failed as she walked up to the window. Upon pulling the curtains to the side, she saw them. The Legendary Lugia and Ho-Oh were there, right in front of her, at the distance of a window. She couldn't even believe it herself. Maybe she was still asleep. Yeah, that was most likely it. They wouldn't fly from so far away from where they lived just to see her. It was then that she realized that the same sound she had heard before had came from Ho-Oh's beak against the window. Mikoto regained her senses and opened the window, watching the two landing down in front of her house. The young girl ran down the stairs and barge out of home, not minding her parents' comments, with Squirtle always close to her. Once outside, she noticed how the two seemed so much bigger than her. She was afraid, though. But she still had to ask what was making her throat dry._

"_Were you with my brother when he was attacked?" she asked, holding her small hands clenches against her chest._

_She noticed the two leaning down their heads. They looked troubled. That could only mean no. Mikoto looked down at the grass poking at her bare feet, when a large shadow overcame hers. She looked up to see Lugia coming up to her. He leant his head against the side of hers and Mikoto shivered. He was warm, not what she was expecting. She felt a strange sensation, and then, she didn't feel like crying anymore. Maybe it was Lugia's doing, but she felt more at ease. Maybe she would be alright without her brother. She had felt so when Lugia leant his head against hers. After the two had taken off, Mikoto noticed two feathers on the ground. One was red and shiny, and the other was silver and looked sharp. Mikoto grabbed them and held them close against her head. Yes, she was going to be just fine. She then knew that Lugia and Ho-Oh would also be watching over her, to make sure she was alright._

"I guess you really want me to move on, don't you, Onii-chan..?" she asked to the air with another sigh as she looked from the window to back to her nightstand, where she kept a small dark red box. She knew what it contained. The souvenirs that the two had left that day after they were gone were kept safe in that box ever since.

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Here she was, Mikoto Sakurazaki from Pallet Town, starting her Pokémon Adventure. Current age: 17 years old. She was out to begin her trip much later than all the other trainers from her town, but it's not like she cared too much about that detail. The thing would be: Mikoto had finally found the will to go on with it. She checked the clock by her nightstand to see that it was just past 9 in the morning. She had already dressed her blue shorts and red sleeveless shirt. She adjusted the collar at her neck and then end of the shirt just below her ribcage. Her long pink hair was brushed and was straight down for now. She knew it would start getting wavy soon, but she preferred it straight like it was at the moment. Her hair was uneven in the back, with small spikes down to the small of her back. Her ruby eyes almost gleamed at her looked at the small dark red box next to her clock. She would be taking that with her as well. It made her feel safe to keep the two feathers close to her. The teen walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed her waist bag. Inside, she put the essential items she would need to continue her journey: A small notebook that belonged to her brother that contained information on Pokémon, an extra red shirt; some money; a sleeping bag; a red ribbon, given by her brother Max; her Pokégear and Pokédex. Mikoto knew she'd eventually catch a lot of items, so she kept the bag with enough space. Since Mikoto was ten, she had earned a few Pokéballs, so she would begin with those.

"Hey, for how long are you going to stay asleep, Squirtle? It's time to move." Mikoto asked with a sweet voice.

"Squir…" the blue turtle peeked from under the covers and looked at his Trainer. "Squir, Squir?"

"Yeah, that's it. We're going to do it. We're finally starting." Mikoto took two steps closer to her room's door.

"Squirtle?" it was as if he was asking if they were really going.

"Yes, now come on." The girl smiled.

"Squir!" the blue turtle seemed thrilled as he jumped off the bed and came close to Mikoto. His eyes shined with the idea of battling and meeting new Pokémon. Mikoto automatically understood the feeling and smiled again towards her starter. As she got down the flight of stairs, she noticed that her mother talking with a neighbor.

"Yes, yes, and then.. Oh! Mikoto!" Ritsuka noticed her child's choice of clothing and jogged to the young trainer. "I see you're all dressed up today."

"Yeah, I am, Mom. Look, I, uh, I was finally able to make a decision." Mikoto nodded her head and waved at the neighbor, saying good morning.

"Oh, and what would that decision be, dear?" her mother asked with a knowing smile.

"I am going to continue where I left of my journey." Mikoto said, with a clear voice.

"You are? Oh, I'm so happy for you, dear!" Ritsuka gave Mikoto a hug. "If you want I can save you some money from when you win something."

"Thanks, Mom. That is going to be helpful." Mikoto nodded her head again.

"Well, you know how to use your gear, right?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yes, Mom, I still remember." Mikoto nodded, grabbing her Pokégear.

"Okay, then. Go on and be a Pokémon Trainer." Ritsuka said, with a cheerful tone of voice. "But don't forget to call every now and then, alright? I'll worry about you."

"Alright, I will, don't worry." Mikoto smiled back at her mother gently. "Are you ready, Squirtle?" she looked down at her partner.

"Squirtle, Squir!" the blue turtle seemed pumped to start.

"Okay, let's go." Mikoto smiled again before walking out the front door of her house.


	2. Chapter 2: The Trainer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Nintendo does. Lucky them. xD**

**Just a small warning. Almost at the end of this chapter is going to be a violent scene that will display panic and fear. No need to get all 'oh, what the hell' and stuff. I hope it's not too forced or anything. I'm not good at battle/violence scenes yet. Enjoy and leave a review, if you would be kind.**

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**Chapter 2: The Trainer**

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"Well, Viridian City looks about the same as before. Not too many people at this hour." Mikoto commented as she entered the local area and looked around. "Squirtle needs to rest before we can go, because he took on all those Pidgeys and Rattatas like that." She told herself as she walked towards the Pokécenter. She noticed the building with the letter 'P' in the front area, which was what made it recognizable to the trainers. Mikoto grabbed the occupied Pokéball and looked at it. "We'll stop for a bit and then continue. I'm sure mom would like me to call her, too." She smiled as she reached for the front doors.

Before she got inside, Mikoto looked around again. Yes, the city was in the same. Some patches of grass here and there; some old people walking by; plenty of houses; the always-closed Pokémon Gym; the road that lead to the Viridian Forest. Yes, everything was about the same. Mikoto smiled to herself and entered the building. Once inside, there was a change. The walls that used to be white were now a faint pink, and the benches were a deep blue color. There were young trainers sitting randomly with their Pokémon, some wounded, others not, but mostly, the place was pretty empty. Mikoto got to the counter and noticed the always warming smile that Nurse Joy carried.

"Well, hello and welcome. How can I be of assistance?" the nurse asked politely.

"My Squirtle needs to get some rest." Mikoto replied, also politely, as she grabbed the Pokéball and handed it over to the nurse.

"Of course. Here, I will take your Pokémon for a few seconds." The nurse grabbed the ball and turned around, meeting a Chansey already waiting. "Heal this Pokémon, please." She requested with her warm voice.

"Chansey, Chan!" the pink bubbly Pokémon nodded and took the ball into a different room.

"There. Your Pokémon will be just fine. I suggest you come by in a few hours to get it back." The nurse explained, always smiling.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Mikoto smiled. "I will run some errands in town, then."

As Mikoto was turning to leave, another Chansey came by with a silver tray. There were four Pokéballs in the tray, all carefully placed so that they wouldn't fall. The girl couldn't help but peek at them. Each one had a sticker with an image of a yellow star inside a dark-blue circle in the red area. It made her curious. The owner of these was most likely a kid who liked playing with the Pokéballs. But it was a good idea, though. Like that, she could recognize her Pokémon from the rest. Mikoto almost lost herself in her thoughts when a voice cut through them.

"Thanks for healing up my Pokémon, Chansey." A male, deep, voice spoke.

Mikoto looked down at her feet quickly, hoping she wasn't staring at the guy's Pokémon in a weird way. But all she could see was green. Not that it was relevant, anyways, because she had errands to run. Yes. Pokémart, oh, and call mother. Mikoto calmly walked away from the counter as she heard the same male voice thanking the Chansey again. It was then that she heard a sound. She recognized it was a Pokémon getting out of its ball. She was curious to see which was it, but then she heard a 'Pikachu' sound, which made her calmer. It was just a Pikachu. She had seen some before. It would be a good addition to her Party in the future. As she thought, Mikoto walked over to the phone area and picked the phone in the furthest corner. There were three phones, each separated by a plastic wall, to give privacy to whoever would want to make a call. Mikoto leaned against the plastic, facing the wall as she inserted her phone card in the machine. As she heard the dial tone of her house, she wondered where she would be going next. That would be the Mart. She would be getting some Potions and Pokéballs. Then she would come back to the Pokécenter to get Squirtle back. Maybe the Chansey would have already taken care of him by the time she was done with her errands, since Mikoto had only left him at their care.

"Hello?" her mother's voice came up on the phone.

"Um, hey, mom, it's me." Mikoto said, facing the phone now.

"Oh, hi, dear! You're always so distracted, even on the phone." the adult seemed cheered. "Is everything alright over there?"

"No, no. I mean, yes. I just called to say that everything's fine and all." Mikoto fumbled with her words.

"Oh, I see." Her mother seemed a little relieved. "I'm glad you decided to call me. Now just don't forget to do so every now and then."

As she spoke with her mother, Mikoto noticed that someone was also on the phone as well. She couldn't see his face, because there was another phone and a plastic wall separating them, but she could tell that it was the same person who was next to her over the counter before. Mikoto didn't mean to eavesdrop on him, but her distracted self got over her. Not wanting, she found herself listening to the other guy's conversation.

"It's me." The boy said. "I'm calling to report that everything's going well so far and that we will be proceeding soon. Yes, Sir. I will call again once it is done." He spoke quickly, yet politely, nodded his head and then hung up.

"Mikoto? Dear?" the girl's mother's voice finally got through her.

"Ah, yes, yes, mom. I won't forget." Mikoto fumbled with her words again. "Sorry, I was.. distracted."

"Yes, I can see that. Well, take care and be safe. I'm rooting for you. Bye-bye now." her mother smiled at her daughter and hung up the phone.

When Mikoto looked to the side again, the boy was already gone. She looked back at the room and noticed someone leaving through the front door. Maybe it was him, but that wasn't important now, because she had an errand to run. Mikoto walked to the outside of the Pokécenter and looked around again. From what she recalled, the Mart should be a few streets upwards, so she began walking.

**0000**

"Hey, Squirtle." Mikoto greeted. "You're looking better now. Did you take a good rest?" she smiled at her Pokémon.

"Squir, Squirtle!" the blue turtle replied at her trainer, as if saying yes.

"Okay, then, we got to keep moving. Viridian Forest isn't exactly small." Mikoto said as she pointed a Pokéball at him. "Squirtle, return."

"Squir." The blue turtle disappeared into the ball.

"Okay, I'm all set now. Thank you, Nurse Joy." Mikoto bowed her head politely.

"You are most welcome, miss. I hope to see you soon." The nurse bowed back and smiled.

Mikoto bowed her head again as she smiled and then took off. Once outside, she noticed it was getting dark. Upon checking her Pokégear, she saw that it was little past 6:20 in the afternoon. No big deal. It wasn't like something bad would happen at nighttime to her. She took her brother's note book from her bag and opened the first pages. As she walked towards Viridian Forest, she read some of the notes that her brother made. In Viridian Forest you can find Forest-Type Pokémon, such as the Bugs Caterpie, Weedle and the Mouse Pikachu, if you're lucky enough to find one, that is. It would be common to see plenty of Kakuna and Metapod hanging from the tree branches as well. Mikoto would settle just fine with a Caterpie. She had seen plenty of Butterfree on the television, so she'd always want to catch one, but soon she learned that Butterfree was the final evolution of Caterpie and that she had to train the Pokémon until it evolved. Mikoto was well up for that. Training and some battling with other trainers. It should be fun. As Mikoto mused about these new future experiences, she realized that she had already walked through the entry to the forest. She put the note book back inside her bag and looked forward, towards the forest that extended before her eyes. She took in the large trees and the varieties of the bushes. She felt slightly anxious because she never encountered any wild Pokémon in this kind of environment. Before, she battled Pidgeys and Rattatas, but it was in the open air and she was able to see where she would be going next. In there, she couldn't see the sky so clearly because the trees were so high. Well, she had Squirtle to protect her, so she tried to calm herself. Once she took a few steps, Mikoto felt a gust of wind pass by her. She saw the grass that extended until the eyes couldn't see no more. There was a road in between, and Mikoto would be taking that. But, after a moment of walking, she noticed that something wasn't right. It was as if that the more she walked, the more lost she became, and darker the forest became.

"_It's just my imagination. I've never been here, so it must be normal that I feel a little lost. Plus, it's almost night time, too. Yeah, that must be it."_ Mikoto told herself as she continued to walk and looked around.

It wasn't long before she came across a crossroads. One was leading to the left and the other road to the right. It was either one of those or return back to Viridian City. Mikoto didn't know where to go, so she took the left road, but little did she know that it was the wrong way that she was going. The more she walked, the more anxious she felt. And the more she looked around, the more nervous and panicky she got. After she looked around for the 100th time, Mikoto began to feel like someone, or something, was watching her.

"_Ah, I've barely just begun my journey and I'm already getting paranoid over nothing."_ Mikoto told herself as she crossed her arms against her chest defensibly and took a deep breath. "This is not good. Maybe I'm not ready to begin, after all. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a Pokémon Trainer like Onii-chan was. Maybe I should just go back home and-" she spoke to herself as she turned around. Her expression turned into a scared one as she spoke again. "Where.. where is the road?" Mikoto asked to the air in a breathe.

She looked to where she thought she had come from, but the road was gone. Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere? It was a plausible idea, but now, she didn't know where to go, or how to go back. Where it was supposed to be road was grass, and from looking it didn't look like any way was the right one, because all she could see was trees, bushes and more grass patches. Mikoto tried to check her Pokégear, but it didn't show her any map. Ah, crap. She had forgotten to ask her mother to load one into it. Mikoto felt her knees begin to tremble out of nervousness, and to her misfortune, she began hearing sounds.

"Aah, what could that be?" she asked to the air again. "A-A Caterpie? O-Or could it be a P-Pikachu..? With my luck it's most likely a Weedle."

She took a few steps backwards when she saw a close-by bush's leaves moving around. In her fear, Mikoto stepped on a small branch, making the bush's sound get louder all of a sudden. But then it stopped. Mikoto almost felt relieved, but as she took another step backwards, a large Pokémon jumped in front of her.

"Scy..!"

"Oh no, it's a.. a Scyther." Mikoto said, as her Pokédex gave out the mantis' description.

"Scyther. This Grassland-Type Pokémon is very intelligent and possesses a ninja-like agility and speed. It can create the illusion that there is more than one, making it nearly impossible to parry its attacking scythes. It's very proud of its speed and it moves so fast that its opponent does not even know what knocked it down."

"W-Wait, G-Grassland? What is a Scyther doing in a forest if it doesn't belong here?" Mikoto asked.

She felt as if the air in the area was gone, because she was beginning to have trouble breathing properly. Mikoto wanted to adjust the collar of her shirt, but was afraid that if she made any kind of movement, the Pokémon would attack her. She tried to take another step back, but she somehow tripped over a rock or a log and fell backwards, landing on her butt. That didn't seem to stop the Pokémon as it got closer to her.

"Scy!" it roared and swung its arm a little.

It looked like it wanted to attack her, and Mikoto wanted to call out Squirtle, but she was feeling as if her reflexes were numbed out. What was she supposed to do in a satiation like this? Battle? Run? Play dead? Something then came to her mind. Her brother once told her that wild Pokémon usually don't attack humans, only other Pokémon. They would attack a human if someone hurt it, but Mikoto had done nothing to this Scyther. Heck, she didn't even know that it was around the area, since its territory is supposed to be in the Grassland. Her panic streaked as the green Pokémon came yet a little bit closer to her. She thought about trying to reason with it, but it didn't look like a good idea. The blades on its arms looked really sharp, so maybe trying to reason wasn't the best idea. Battling didn't seem the best option either because this Scyther seemed to be too strong for Squirtle. Before she could try to figure out any other escape option, she saw the Pokémon lifting up its left arm. Now she really stopped breathing as her fear rose to an upper level. Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly.

"Onii-chan..." She could only say. "Save me. Anyone..!"

As the Scyther swung down its left arm, Mikoto could only shut her eyes, turn her head to the opposite side and try to defend herself from the swing with her bare arms. She knew it would be helpless. She knew that it wouldn't do anything. Heck, maybe she was already dead. Her fear didn't allow her to feel anything, so she wasn't sure if the Pokémon had even finished its strike. She was too afraid to open her eyes again. She could only listen to the forest sounds, until another sound came to her ears.

"Go! Iron Tail!" a male voice was heard.

"P'kachu!" there was something dashing on the grass as well.

She could listen to thuds and clacks, so someone must have found her. Oh, that was good. As relief began to take over her like a tsunami, Mikoto was able to open her eyes again. It was there that she noticed that she was being held by someone. Well, she still felt her legs and hands, so she was still in one piece from that attack. Wait, one piece? Attack? Her eyes shot open as Mikoto sat herself up, but as soon as she did that, a sharp pain shot up to her brain. Instinctively, she grabbed at her stomach, but it only did worse, because the pain became sharper.

"Ah! What the-?" she gasped as she looked at her hand, and to her panic, saw her palm covered in her red blood. She almost stopped breathing again, but another voice caught her attention.

"Hey, hey, don't move too much. I'm going to take you back to the Pokémon center. I'm sure the Nurse Joy will be able to fix you, so just stay calm and breathe."

"What.. happened?" she asked in two gasps as she looked upwards to the source of the voice.

Mikoto looked up at the boy who had found her and realized that it was the same person that had been at the Pokécenter before. At the counter, next to her, and at the phone afterwards. As he looked down, back at her, she also noticed that his eyes were blue, like the ocean. Mikoto liked the ocean. It had a lot of Water-Type Pokémon that she wanted to catch someday. She looked back at him with her ruby-red eyes and she was about to say something, but then a spike of the pain returned to her brain. Damn it, it hurt. Mikoto clenched her teeth and hands, and looked down at herself. Then, she finally saw it. There was an almost horizontal cut over her stomach area, and crap, the thing burned. It didn't seem to be all that deep, or big, but it was more the blood than anything else. She tried to shift herself to try to make the pain ease, even if just a little bit, but she failed.

"Ow, ow..." she whimpered.

"Hey, try not to move too much, okay? That Scyther hit you good, but I was able to drive it off." the boy said as he applied a piece of cloth to her wound.

She whimpered again, and he removed it for a second. When it seemed better, he put it again, making her moan in pain again. It hurt so much that she didn't know she should be screaming in pain or be thanking him for driving that Scyther away. Either way, she began to feel strangely sleepy. Her eyes were too heavy for her to continue to look at his ocean-blue eyes for much longer. She noticed that there seemed to be some kind of blue powder in the air. As she fell asleep in the boy's arms, Mikoto found that her cut didn't seem to hurt all that much anymore.


	3. Chapter 3: Wounded

**AN: The initial italic block in the beginning is one of Mikoto's memories. Long hiatus gone, hopefully forever. Sorry for the wait.**

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**Chapter 3 – Wounded**

**0000**

"_Hey, Onii-chan. Your Eevee is really warm." Young Mikoto giggled as she hugged the fuzzy Pokemon._

"_And I think she likes you, too." Max said with a soft laugh. "I'm hoping for her to evolve into an Espeon sometime soon."_

"_Really?" Mikoto asked. "Eevee's going to change?" she asked to the Pokemon._

"_Eevee?" the fuzzy one replied back, slightly puzzled._

"_Yes, she changes. She can change into seven different Pokemon." Max explained._

"_Seven!" Mikoto almost yelled, making the Pokemon jump back to its owner's lap._

"_Yes, but it depends on the kind of rock you use or how much she likes you. And she only changes once. If you make the wrong call, then you'll have a problem." Max petted the Pokemon before looking back at his sister. "Eevee is a very good Pokemon just for itself, but most people don't see it that way and only think of evolving it into something much stronger. Sure, that's useful in battle, but you have to consider their feelings as well."_

"_Their feelings?" Mikoto asked._

"_Yes. Your Eevee might not want to turn into a Jolteon or a Vaporeon." Max replied. "I've already asked Eevee here and she told me she wants to become an Espeon." He said as he petted his Pokemon again._

"_How do you know that?" Mikoto asked, curious._

"_Well, it's a little hard to explain, really. If you are ever able to get an Eevee, then you'll know." Max replied._

"_Do you think I'll be able to catch as many Pokemon as you, Onii-chan?"_

"_Of course you will. I'm sure of it. You just have to trust yourself."_

"_Thank you, Onii-chan! You're the best!" the young girl gave her brother a tight hug._

"... Hm.." a figure shifted under a white sheet. The girl seemed to be troubled about something. Some of her uneven pink hair poked from under the sheets.

As she tried to struggle out of her restless dreams, she did not sense someone else opening the door and peering inside the room she was currently lying in. This new figure had long pink hair and there was also a pink Pokemon by her side. The two seemed troubled about the girl as they looked at each other.

"I think we should wake her. Don't you agree?" the taller figure asked with a concerned tone of voice.

"Chan.." the pink Pokemon replied, as if it was saying yes.

"... Hm... Onii-chan..." the figure under the sheets moaned again.

"Miss? Wake up, Miss." A voice called.

"Onii-chan…"

"Miss!"

"Ah!" Mikoto snapped her eyes open and sat up. "Wha- Where am I? Who are you?" as unawareness clouded her mind, she did not yet realize she was in a Pokecenter.

"Miss, calm down. You are safe now." The nurse tried to calm the girl. After a few moments, she succeeded. "You are at Viridian City's Pokecenter. You were brought here after you were attacked." She explained.

"Attacked?" Mikoto instantly went for her stomach and in the same moment, she felt a sharp pain. As she looked down, Mikoto saw the bandages wrapped around her. _"That's right. I was attacked by that Scyther before." _As her senses returned to her, she looked up at the Nurse Joy standing by her side. "But who brought me back?" she asked.

"It was another trainer." The nurse replied. "From what he's told me, he saw you getting attacked and then brought you here for medical treatment."

"_Another trainer? Who?"_ Mikoto asked herself. It took her a moment to remember the final moments, before she blanked out. There was someone holding her. It was most likely the same person. "Nurse Joy, is he still here?" she asked, knowing it would be a long shot. Maybe the person was already miles away after doing the good deed. Still, she had to ask.

"Oh, yes, he is. He insisted in staying until you'd wake up." The nurse smiled. "He's at the Lobby."

"I see." Mikoto gave herself a mental sigh. So, he was still here. Like that, she would be able to properly thank him. "Am I cleared to go?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss." The nurse helped Mikoto as she got out of the bed. "Your belongings are over there." She pointed to a desk where her bag and Pokeballs were. "I just need to advise you to change the bandages once every three days for the following weeks. I will give you some extra bandages. Oh, it would be easier to do it at a Pokecenter with the help of a Chansey." The nurse explained.

"Alright, got it." Mikoto nodded to the explanations. She would make use of the bandages if she couldn't reach for a Pokecenter in time. "Thank you very much, Nurse Joy." She tried to bow, but her stomach didn't allow her. So, she bowed only her head, but with as much respect as she could.

"I'll walk you back." The nurse said, getting the door open with a smile.

"Thank you." Mikoto bowed her head again.

Once in the Lobby, Mikoto noticed that it was empty. There was only someone at the counter, but it was a young child, so it couldn't have been them. Maybe the trainer was tired of waiting for her to wake up and decided to leave.

"Look, Miss, he's over there at the phones." The nurse told her wrong and indicated her to the trainer. "I need to go attend to that child. I assume you will be fine now?" she asked politely and always smiling.

"Yes, Nurse Joy. I will be alright." Mikoto noticed the trainer at the phones. She turned to the nurse and bowed her head again. "Once again, thank you very much for tending to my wounds." She thanked.

"You are most welcome. Now if you'll excuse me." The nurse smiled again and turned, to go to the counter.

Alone again, Mikoto looked towards the trainer. He seemed to like green a lot, because his clothes shouted green. It wasn't a fluorescent green, and considering that most trainers used clothes so much weirder, Mikoto paid no attention. As she walked closer to him, she noticed that he seemed to be making a call. Not wanting to bother him just yet, she waited for him to finish. She couldn't help, and she didn't mean to, but Mikoto ended up listening to bits of his conversation.

"I will now engage to phase 2. ... Yes, sir. I will call you once I reach the next city. Farewell." The boy spoke, replied and hung up the phone.

He seemed to take a pause from his call, because he didn't turn around or anything, so Mikoto decided to move forward instead.

"Um, e-excuse me?" she asked as she stepped towards him.

Her voice made him turn, and for a moment, Mikoto couldn't help but freeze. His eyes were just so... blue. It was a dark blue, like a deep part of the ocean. She didn't have a better word for them, but this wasn't the time to stare. Even so, there was something very appealing about them. Probably because Mikoto loved the ocean and everything related to it.

"I see you've awakened, Miss." He cut off her thoughts with his calm, deep, voice. "I'm glad to see you are doing well."

"Ah, um, thank you, sir." Mikoto fumbled a little with her words at first. "Thank you for saving me back in the forest. If it wasn't for you, I might not be alive anymore." She bowed her head.

"Oh, no, no, it was nothing, really." The boy waved his hands in front of the girl. "I was just collecting some information about the area and saw you being attacked. I'm sure anyone would do the same, so it's no big deal." He said.

"It was a big deal to me, because you saved me. If there's any way that I can repay you with, please do tell me." Mikoto looked back up at the boy and spoke with a determined expression.

"Oh, no, it's fine, really." The boy replied, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't need you to do anything for me, really. It's okay. Just a thank you is fine." He smiled to her.

"... Are you sure?" Mikoto asked, after a moment.

"Yes, I'm sure." The boy continued to smile at her.

"Alright, then." Mikoto relaxed a little and gave him a slight defeated smile back. "If you don't want anything, then there's nothing I can do. Thank you very much for saving me. I'll make sure to follow my map correctly this time and-" as she was speaking, there was a rumble in her bag and a white light shot off it, taking form outside.

"Squir!" the blue turtle seemed troubled.

"Hey, Squirtle." Mikoto tried to crouch down, but her stomach didn't allow her.

"Squir, Squirtle, Squir!" the blue turtle's troubled expression deepened as he looked at the bandages around his trainer's stomach. "Squir..." he looked down. He seemed upset for his absence having caused his trainer's wound.

"Hey, Squirtle, it's alright." Mikoto patted his head gently. Somehow, she understood. "It wasn't your fault, nor anyone's." she smiled brightly. "It was me who didn't follow my map correctly."

"... Squir?" the Pokemon didn't seem convinced. "Squirtle, Squir."

"It's alright, really." Mikoto smiled warmly again towards her Pokemon and held up his Pokeball. "Now, return and don't worry about me, alright?" Mikoto asked, still with her smile.

"Squir..." the blue turtle obeyed, but it was clear that he was still troubled.

"I see you started with a Squirtle." The boy commented.

"Yeah." Mikoto turned to him again and replied. "I always liked water-type Pokemon, so I decided to start with him. It was my brother who helped me out in the beginning."

"Ah, I see. Me, I began with Zippo." The boy said.

"Zippo?" Mikoto tilted her head to the side and asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, he's a Charmeleon." The boy replied with a chuckle. "I give nicknames to my Pokemon, to make them more unique." he explained.

"Oh, I see." Mikoto nodded her head.

"Don't you ever name yours?" he asked.

"No, I never did that. I actually never thought about it." Mikoto replied as she crossed her arms, but as soon as they touched her stomach, she quickly undid the move.

Mikoto looked down at her wounded area, worried to see if she had done anything wrong and opened some stitches. Unaware, she missed the boy's glance over her bandaged area. When she was sure it was fine, Mikoto looked back up at him again, but he was already looking towards something else.

"So, may I ask where are you headed to now?" the boy asked with a casual tone of voice.

"Um, I was trying to get to Pewter city." Mikoto explained. "I'm going to try to defeat the Gym Leader there."

"Oh, that sounds cool. Would you mind if I tagged along?" the boy asked. "I'm actually thinking about heading to the same place."

"Oh, sure, I don't mind at all." Mikoto nodded her head again. "My brother always told me that it's better to travel with someone rather than alone." She commented with a small smile.

"That is true." The boy nodded. "And, where is this brother of yours? You've been talking about him for a while. Is he a trainer as well?"

"He.. He was a trainer, yes..." Mikoto suddenly turned glum and looked to the side. "Until he was... murdered…"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" the boy quickly waved his arms around. "I-I didn't mean to bring you sad memories or anything. I'm really sorry." He held the back of his head.

"Oh, no, it's fine." Mikoto looked back at the boy and shook her head.

"Okay. The, if we're done here, shall we get going?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, but... I don't even know your name yet." She chuckled nervously with a nod. "My name's Mikoto. Sakurazaki Mikoto. I'm from Pallet Town." She introduced herself and smiled.

"Ah, where are my manners? I'm really sorry." The boy chuckled nervously as well as he scratched the back of his neck. "My name's Ritchie. Nice to meet you, Mikoto." He bowed slightly.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Ritchie." Mikoto smiled again.

With that, the two left the Poke center and started off to Viridian Forest.


End file.
